What's the lore behind the Cosmic skin line?

Chromatic Eagle·Apr 18, 2017·7 votes·12,876 views

Are they the rivals to the Dark Star group?

31 Comments

RiotKindlejackApr 20, 201710 votes

When we arrived at the idea of doing some more Cosmic skins, which happened quite organically around the Xaya/Rakan launch skins, we talked about them representing wondrous gods/beings that tribes tell stories about as they look up at the constellations in the night sky. Sort of mythological deities that you tell stories about around the campfire or out upon a tavern balcony. We even started to sketch out some ideas about Xaya and Rakan representing the sun and moon, endlessly searching for each-other across the sky but never quite touching. Due to his name and play style we though Kassadin represents a more merciless force - maybe he's responsible for carving canyons and valleys and bringing misfortune to rural villages? I thought swift Yi reminded me of Hermes, but that's just in my head. He's inspired in part by shooting stars and comets.

When we started posting art internally the number one question was 'Are they related to Dark Star?' and while that wasn't our primary intention we have thrown around a few ideas as it makes sense that cosmic deities be linked. We pitched the concept that Thresh is sort of like Hades to the Olympians - They are all linked to brilliant celestial bodies while he had governance over black holes, the eternal darkness, the void between stars. Poetically this might cause him to resent the beings of light who are so beloved by all, and in doing so use his power to overcome and twist those gods to his will one by one... but that's just some idea about how people might tell stories of their mythos.

There was also a really cool idea thrown out at the same meeting that when Thresh feeds an inhabited system into his dark star, some terrible new force is born as a side effect - a mockery of the life that was consumed. So if a world of tinkers, inventors and artists was consumed it would create a being like Orianna, but if it was a jungle planet full of primal monsters then it would create a being more like Kha'zix.

Curious to know what others think about them!

SpideraxeApr 20, 20173 votes

I sorta headcanon the Dark Stars as the forces of nature that represent death, like Galactus from Marvel, they consume and bring an end to things when their time is up, some do it more happily then others, while the Cosmic line are like the creators who try to interact with their creations and do not like it when the Dark Stars end there stuff but realize it as a must in order to create more

RiotKindlejackApr 21, 20173 votes

That is incredible!

SpideraxeApr 21, 20172 votes

Would say Thresh and Kha'Zix would be the ones who do it more happily since they constantly hunger, Orianna is rather impartial to the destruction she causes since she sees the cycle of destruction and creation as a dance and Varus is the most reluctant but that doesn't mean he complains

RiotKindlejackApr 22, 20173 votes

Varus, the cosmic emo?

SpideraxeApr 22, 20173 votes

God mom its not a phase, I genuinely want to destroy planets for a living

Chromatic EagleApr 21, 20171 votes

Getting Beerus and Supreme Kai vibes.

SpideraxeApr 21, 20172 votes

Wasn't even thinking about DBZ and even then it fits, Beerus def reminds me of these guys

Chromatic EagleApr 20, 20171 votes

I figured that the Dark Stars were similar to Old Gods mixed with Titans from World of Warcraft. They go around consuming worlds until nothing is left. I can see the Cosmic line resembling celestial bodies, though I thought that Kassadin would be a hero of sorts when his skin first came out.

RiotKindlejackApr 21, 20173 votes

Yeah I feel that way too. It's just the 'reaver' in his name, and the way he is sort of a 'dark knight' that make me think of him as being a little more grey than the others. Great thoughts!

Chromatic EagleApr 21, 20172 votes

Well if Cosmics are supposed to be celestial bodies, then maybe Rakan and Xayah create or nurture life, while Yi protects it as he travels the cosmos. Kassadin could be an executioner of sorts who cleans up corrupted planets or lifeforms who fall out of Rakan and Xayah's favor. Maybe the Dark Stars originated as Reavers, but just loved their jobs a little too much.

RiotKindlejackApr 22, 20172 votes

This sounds so cool! And raises another thought that's been in my mind for years. How do we create satisfying background on something like skin thematics without discouraging players to create their own head-canon and stories? While I'm excited to bring some cohesion to skins, I think we're hesitant because we love all the theories and art players come up with. Champions are a little different because there is a lot of people hard at work on creating a strong unified IP, but for skins I feel like they should be able to represent whatever you want them to be.

Chromatic EagleApr 22, 20171 votes

Fair enough, though I wonder how much people think about the older skins.

RiotKindlejackApr 26, 20172 votes

When you've got millions of players engaging with LoL you can find people who are passionate about every aspect of the game, and they pop up as soon as you mess with something! I think that's definitely another difficult balance that Riot faces every day - how do we continue to evolve the game while staying true to what made LoL so great in the first place? I think it's something that is trial and error that goes right as often as it goes wrong. I certainly have a lot of arguments with people when it comes to exploring new opportunities vs retaining what has traditionally worked, although i don't think there's a clear correct answer.

Wrathof300Apr 20, 20171 votes

This sounds awesome, although is is a skinline based on an alternate universe, it gives a little insight to the directions of future interstellar beings in the canon lore and how Targon may function as an empire that exists on a celestial plain (Targon may function in tribes across the cosmos as the Xayah and Rakan skins and the dark star skins might represent the Void in canon lore) as a Panth main I'm interested in the extent of Targon's intergalactic power. Parallels aside the idea in itself is awesome and I'm even more hype for future comsic/dark star skins. If Xayah and Rakan are the moon and sun, and Cosmic Yi, shooting stars, the biggest and baddest Cosmic skin may end up an entire universe in himself.

RiotKindlejackApr 21, 20174 votes

Entire Universe Karthus? You can't dodge the universe...

Skin thematics exist in alternate universes. We want to ensure that other teams are free to develop the core lore of LoL without us accidentally stepping on toes. There are occasional skins when we collaborate to do Lore stuff though and it's something that will hopefully fall into place better in the future. As artists though it's inevitable that we inspire each other - there's so much awesome art and talent in the air!

Chromatic EagleApr 21, 20171 votes

Currently how many skins would you say are lore related? I know cutpurse TF and Graves are some, while Blood Moon used to be.

RiotKindlejackApr 22, 20174 votes

They definitely need some clean-up. Technically Acolyte Lee Sin is a lore skin, and Jailbreak Graves was supposed to be when he broke out of prison - although at the time the lore was so vague the idea that he was breaking out of some Fortress-esque space prison was fine while now it seems really out of place. I believe Spell Thief Lux was originally based on her pre-release lore, when her Prismatic Barrier stealthed the friendly champions it hit (which makes much more sense for a light mage than temporary hp) and the story was she would use her stealth to steal spells. But as you said with Blood Moon, it's all very vague now.

Having said that Rioters on foundations and champion teams are always keen to suggest lore-based skins so I am sure we'll see more in the future. I think it would be cool if we had some kind of watermark or stamp that indicated lore skins (and maybe even 'universe' identifiers).

FasmodeyApr 20, 20172 votes

Did you guys ever consider Xerath for Dark Star or Cosmic Reaver? Because these 2 themes were the most I wished for. Even some people that saw my comments about these 2 themes may remember me.

It is heartbreaking to see both skin themes that I want the most for Xerath couldn't be there for me. It is even sadder when they are released in a row. Like a joke. It is like saying '' NO XERATH LMAO GET REKT''

Last Xerath skin is already 2 years old and Xerath has no super high quality skin. A legendary Cosmic themed Xerath could be god-like. :'(

Dark Star and Cosmic Reaver also have 2 skin colours that Xerath doesn't have for his current skins. Purple and almost whitish blue.

Athenes LuluApr 20, 20172 votes

I saw the Dark Star skin line more like something antagonistic, seeking for destruction, and the Star Guardians are their enemy.

I'm a bit too-anime and progressive story driven and that popped to my head.

YuGiHoApr 20, 20171 votes

That explanation reminds me of Theros gods from MTG

RiotKindlejackApr 21, 20173 votes

Theros is also based on Greek mythology. As an aside, I love MtG - it is a unique example of a long lasting constantly developing game that has faced a lot of similar challenges to LoL over the years; Reserved List, Card Boarder Update, Power Creep, Terminology Update, Removal of Interrupts, Lore Retcon, Mythic Rares, New Card Types. I think reading MaRo's game design blog for the past ~10 years has helped me frame a lot of the problems we face at Riot.

patmax17Apr 21, 20172 votes

Seriously, MaRo is great at what he does: he's very good at design but humble and very entertaining to read. He got me to love the color pie and the philosophy behind it. I sometimes dream of what would be if he worked on League [zombie-nunu-hearts]

RiotKindlejackApr 22, 20172 votes

He's one of my big gaming heroes for sure! You're right he always has brilliant ways to break down and look at problems from all sorts of angles. Some friends and I have actually re-enacted his colour-pie dramas where each colour has a voice... Being humble and open to learning new things, trusting others and admitting to mistakes are really vital to success in this field, and he really inspires me to do more of that.

I wonder what he would make of League? As I mentioned earlier there are definitely a lot of overlaps and things we can learn from their successes and mistakes over the years. Another thing that wasn't on my previous list that I think also applies is new player experience and how to introduce people into what is a very punishing and complex game system. What I found really interesting about MtG is that over the years they've tried a multitude of entry level products and initiatives but inevitably most new players get taught by their friends - in the deep end. It makes sense when you think about gamers though, who are intelligent people that are always looking for challenges. It's no wonder they'd rather jump right in with their friends than ramp up with basic products. It still raises the question of how do you get into a game like MtG or LoL without having a friend to help you, and without boring baby steps?

patmax17Apr 22, 20172 votes

I agree, I've seen it happen with tabletop RPGs: D&D does a very bad job at teaching you how to play it, you can't just throw three 300-pages manuals at a new player and tell him to read them. I'm not very knowledgeable in CCGs, but as far as RPGs go there have been a lot of steps foreward to improving some inherent problems: games with no prep (or even no DM), games where you read the manual and learn the rules while playing (Mechs vs Minions comes to my mind here, too!), games with rules that support and encourage drama and character interaction rather than simulation of a real world.

Video Games have had tutorials ever since, and in this regard I think League has a lot of examples to take ideas from, MtG needed to rely more exploration and experimentation

RiotKindlejackApr 26, 20172 votes

I think that's one of the things I love about Acquisitions Inc. and it's ilk - sometimes the best way to learn is by watching someone do it well. That's why I watch the LCS :)

CanastusApr 23, 20171 votes

I'd like to know why there isn't a Cosmic Cassiopeia skin yet, considering that she's already named after an existing star constellation.

She really could use a new skin after more than 4 years of nothing (last skinrelease was in February 2013). This ongoing negligence simply isn't okay, and yet you keep handing out skins to everyone else.

RiotRiot 10YearSantaApr 24, 20173 votes

{quoted}

When we arrived at the idea of doing some more Cosmic skins, which happened quite organically around the Xaya/Rakan launch skins, we talked about them representing wondrous gods/beings that tribes tell stories about as they look up at the constellations in the night sky. Sort of mythological deities that you tell stories about around the campfire or out upon a tavern balcony. We even started to sketch out some ideas about Xaya and Rakan representing the sun and moon, endlessly searching for each-other across the sky but never quite touching. Due to his name and play style we though Kassadin represents a more merciless force - maybe he's responsible for carving canyons and valleys and bringing misfortune to rural villages? I thought swift Yi reminded me of Hermes, but that's just in my head. He's inspired in part by shooting stars and comets.

When we started posting art internally the number one question was 'Are they related to Dark Star?' and while that wasn't our primary intention we have thrown around a few ideas as it makes sense that cosmic deities be linked. We pitched the concept that Thresh is sort of like Hades to the Olympians - They are all linked to brilliant celestial bodies while he had governance over black holes, the eternal darkness, the void between stars. Poetically this might cause him to resent the beings of light who are so beloved by all, and in doing so use his power to overcome and twist those gods to his will one by one... but that's just some idea about how people might tell stories of their mythos.

There was also a really cool idea thrown out at the same meeting that when Thresh feeds an inhabited system into his dark star, some terrible new force is born as a side effect - a mockery of the life that was consumed. So if a world of tinkers, inventors and artists was consumed it would create a being like Orianna, but if it was a jungle planet full of primal monsters then it would create a being more like Kha'zix.

Curious to know what others think about them!

wow damn, that's so cool. I had no idea any of that went into it but I really like it. I'm a sucker for mythology though. :)

blaze2503May 14, 20172 votes

I have a question about Yi. Why is it that when you activate his "e" his blade turns into Dark Star colors?

YadidApr 19, 20173 votes

This is something that's been on my mind since the leak. Also, how do the dark stars relate to the star guardians. Moreover, how do the three skin lines relate.

tendo625Apr 19, 20172 votes

I think the Cosmic line fights to protect the universe from Dark Star. Riot will mostly likely release top laners for both skin lines together and cement a rivalry between them in the lore or splash art.

I considered Star Guardians as a rival to Dark Star but it seems unlikely due to the sheer difference in scale. A girl wouldn't be able to stop a creature that destroys planets with a swipe of its claw. Which opens the door for Cosmic to fight them.

It's probable the top laner for Cosmic will be a legendary skin to bring lore and to parallel Thresh.

It could also be an excuse for Illaoi or Yorick skins but it isn't likely to be too soon given the leaks.